A few weeks ago, I shared how I keep our showers clean in about 10 minutes a month. I mentioned that although I try to use mostly homemade cleaners in and around our house, I still hadn’t found a great homemade cleaner for the shower.
Well, after that, I got a bunch of emails with different “recipes” for homemade shower cleaner; and although I was skeptical, I decided to try a few of them out.
Anyway, after experimenting these past 2 weeks (yes, our shower is now extremely clean) I’ve picked my favorite… and it’s REALLY simple!!
Recipe for Homemade Shower Cleaner
Thanks to Anna for sending me this “recipe”!
Step #1: Pour 1 to 2 c. of white vinegar into a plastic spray bottle
Step #2: Heat it up in the microwave until very warm. {you do NOT need to reheat it every time you want to clean your showers}
Step #3: Pour 1 T. of Dawn dish soap into the spray bottle.
Step #4: Put the top of the spray bottle on and gently shake until they are combined.
That’s it!!
Just 2 simple ingredients and about 5 minutes of your time and you have a very inexpensive, homemade shower cleaner that works wonders on soap scum and smells great too!
NOTE: This cleaner is also great for removing greasy buildup in the kitchen!
Erin says
What about using this homemade solution and scrubbing? You can’t just spray it. You have to scrub to get the scum off.
Heather says
I like to save $ by letting my vinegar do double duty.
I have a hand held clothes steamer that has to be cleaned by heating up white vinegar in it to remove the hard water residue that prevents the element from heating the water. Instead of wasting the vinegar when i’m done I use it for other cleaning.
Since this calls for heated vinegar I am going to try using the vinegar from the steamer cleaning in this recipe.
Liane says
Our shower is cultured onyx. So basically it is a gel coated solid surface material that is fairly impervious to getting gunky. It it over 20 years old and looks like new. I have a three part approach to keeping it that way, and which does not include any cleaning at all!
First, ban bar soap. Yeah, it’s cheaper but it is harsh on the skin and it leaves scum on everything. Use liquid soap.
Second, cover the shower pan or tub with a layer of old towels and clean the walls of any residue of soap. I like Gel-Gloss. Finally apply a good coating of automotive polish. My favorite is Eagle One Wax As You Dry. I like it because it does not stink, and because you only need to do it once a year or so. It allows the water to bead up, just like on a car.
Third, buy a good squeegee and use it after every single shower. I got mine at Target and it hangs from a suction cup hook that came with it.
If you have tiles in the shower, I have no suggestions except make sure the grout is well sealed and that you dry the tiles with a towel after you use the shower. It takes a few minutes, but it is worth not having to spray with stinky stuff with chlorine. Chlorine alse eats grout so the problem of mold is actually exacerbated as the chlorine eats away the grout it makes for easier access for more mold and mildew.
Other anti mildew tactics I have employed include upgrading the cheap bathroom exhaust fan with its puny 3 inch exhaust pipe with a larger ducted fan (quieter also) and leaving the window open when I can to dry the shower. When I am home alone I don’t even shut the bathroom door.
April says
I LOVE this cleaner!! I’ve used this a few times now and love the look of my shower each and every time! Thank-you!
Debora Peterson says
You know if a spray bottle doesn’t work the best…you can put the 2 ingrients in a dish cleaner (you know the one with a tube to fill up with dish soap with a sponge at the end) You can buy replacement sponges. and then you can do double duty and also save water by cleaning the shower while you are showering! Might as well i always get soaked anyways just cleaning the shower!!!!
Andrea says
oh my word — this has to be one of the best ideas ever! I’m sharing on my facebook page right now! You’re a genius!
Cathy Hammoud says
This was GREAT! I used about 2T of Dawn Ultra and 2 cups of heated vinegar. The gunk was coming off the stall as I was spraying!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Andrea says
glad you liked it Cathy!
moya says
I have only three cleaning agents for everything as I am allergic to most . I use baking soda(bread soda) washing soda sometimes call soda crytals and white vinegar. I forgot one more. I have to damp dust everything as i have asthma so i use a damp cloth with a few drops of lavender oil – makes the house smell fabulous and keeps all insects at bay. Thats it!!
Diane says
The difference in the colors of Dawn is that the blue Dawn is phosphate free, the others are not. This is what makes it a safer product and why it can be used to bathe your pets (and ducks/birds after oil spills) in addition to clean just about everything! Love this recipe!
Andrea says
wow — I never knew this Diane! Thanks for sharing!
Tammy @ SkipperClan says
what an interesting note! I am trying this recipe today but with the dish soap I had on hand, now I know what to shop for next time!
Kristie says
We get the heavy-duty spray bottles from Target. Also, I put the soap in 1st and then the vinegar (which is boiling when I stop the microwave), which seems to melt the soap and help it mix better. *Note: do NOT use any old cheap spray bottle if you choose to get the vinegar this hot… the first one I tried melted the bottle. :-p
Margaret says
Vinegar us an acid , si it may be ‘eating’ the bottle and spray mcchanism. Make what you will use, or keep any remainder in a glass jar. Be sure to rinse bottle and let clean water course through the spray mechanism by putting it in a glass ofclean water and spraying several times
Debbie says
Did you ever find a solution? I’ve had the same problem, my plastic bottles continually break too. It is SO frustrating!
Jim says
Debbie….Turn your atomizer upside down and spry WD40 in the piston cylinder and that should solve your sprayer problem Jim
Dumblabrat says
I have been using vinegar and dish detergent for ages. In fact I have found that by simply drying the shower cubicle off when finished I really only need to use the cleaner once a month as it is the build-up of soap scum that causes the problem.
BJ says
Why do you have to heat the vinegar?
Sandy says
BJ, I would say it so the solution will be more fluid. I made a similar one to this and it did not call for heating and wouldn’t spray at all. I ended up doing a by hand application which was not time efficient at all. Don’t know, just guessing.
Jennifer says
Don’t use concentrated dish soap with this recipe. It’s very, very hard to get everything rinsed if you do! I use original Dawn for this and it works great. I learned by error not to use the concentrated, I tried it even cutting the amount of soap in half and it was still very difficult to get all the soap rinsed off. 🙂
katie bobbitt says
how do you rinse this recipe,it just keeps bubbling and i feel like nothing is is rinsed clear
Donna says
I’ve tried this and it does work wonderfully on the shower (btw: I’ve used Lavender Dawn, as well as blue, both work exactly the same). My issue is that I’m going through spray bottles like crazy! The handles keep getting stuck, I’m guessing because something is clogging up the pumping mechanism. I can use a bottle for one, maybe two uses, before it stops working entirely. Anybody else having this problem? What bottles are you using that keep working time after time? I purchased bottles at the store specifically for mixing your own soluntions, and they just aren’t working. I love the cleaner, but I need help finding a spray bottle that can handle it. Help!
evi says
Living in Europe, Dawn-dishsoap isn’t an option for me – do you know if this works with ANY dishsoap? I just found your blog and really like it, the shower-cleaner sounds nice – our showerwall will be replaced in a couple of months because of SEVERE meldew and this time, we will have it put up by a professional so that the desaster with the current wall won’t happen again. Still, I want to do everyhing right and try to keep it super-clean – and your cleaner sounds awesome, I am a huge fan of vinegar and it’s endless uses…
all the best from the other side of the Atlantic, ;->
evi
Melissa says
I watched an episode of “How clean is your house” yesterday. The ladies said to get the good dish soap not the cheap stuff. They are from the UK. They use lots of homemade products on their shows.
Hester says
Ooooh! I LOVE the two ladies from How clean is your house …. Haven’t seen it in ages, though, can’t get it here. But indeed, they do use a lot of homemade stuff. 🙂
Joyce T. says
I have been using this “recipe” to clean our bathrooms (shower/sink/toilet) for about a year! It is wonderful, leaves evrything shiny clean.
The recipe I was originially given specified to only use the blue Dawn. Don’t know why that is, but have followed it religiously!
Sandy says
The recipe I had first heard of also called for baking soda. Does anyone know about this and if it works better? And yes, Joyce it called for only “Blue” Dawn.
Jamie says
The green and blue dawns both work equally well. Baking soda does make it work better, BUT it’s really hard to mix vinegar and baking soda(gets really fizzy, might explode your bottle). I use this same cleaner, and I just sprinkle baking soda on the tough spots and then spray.
Colleen says
You could always test it on a ‘scrap’ piece of marble and see! I am making this right now to clean my shower and kitchen cabinets!
Linda says
Colleen, never use acidic products on marble as it damages it. You may just have to scrape your surfaces or talk to an expert.
Kristen says
Do you know if this will hurt / damage my marble tile shower. Its been a long time since I have cleaned it because I am afraid to use cleaner on it that may ruin the marble!!
Andrea says
I’m honestly not sure Kristen — I have no experience with real marble and I would hate for you to ruin it on my account! I’d Google “How to clean marble” or ask an expert 🙂
Laura C says
I made this mixture with Joy and it worked marvelously well. Never made it with Dawn, so I have no basis for comparison, but I was VERY happy with the Joy/vinegar cleaning ability.
Sina says
Thanks for this post! After reading all the great comments I mixed up my own brew of vinegar and Bright Green Citrus Dishwashing Liquid (not equal parts…just a few squirts of the dish soap) It took a LOT of elbow grease, but my tile shower was pretty bad.
The results are beautiful and the bathroom smells GREAT. (I HATE the smell of bleach!!!!) I’m so enamored with my work, I actually sent before & after pics to my sister & friend.
I’d like to NOT spend two hours in the future, cleaning my shower. Will spraying the vinegar/soap mix in the shower, weekly, keep mildew at bay?
Andrea says
yay — so glad it worked for you!! I don’t think this cleaner is for preventing soap scum or mildew… it’s not like one of those spray and walk away misting cleaners. Sorry!
Paula says
I can’t use this mix on our porcilan tile in the shower but have mixed this up in a lil hand held sponge thingy for my bath tub! It works great but this time I put more Dawn in there then vinegar!! Its not a stanky! lol
Lisa P says
Wow… this really worked great! I was so excited to try it I forgot to warm up the vinegar but it still worked fine. I used a damp facecloth after I sprayed it to ensure I got all parts of the shower walls & lightly used a brush on the area where the soap sits (there is now a soap dish there). Thank you so much!
Andrea says
Thanks Lisa, glad it worked for you! Enjoy your clean showers 🙂
Yarelis says
I finally tried this and I am so glad I did. I hate cleaning my tile shower – who does, really?? I used an empty Dawn bottle and squirted my entire shower and left the solution to do its magic while I cleaned the guest bathroom. With little elbow grease, my shower looks pretty good! I didn’t have any bad smells or fumes. Thank you for this recipe. Makes cleaner my shower so much easier…maybe it will get done more often.
Nancy Jo says
Try putting the vinegar dawn mixture in a dishwashing wand – the handle thing with a screw cap that holds dish soap – with the blue scrub pad on it. Then build a ‘holster’ using a plastic wire tie and hang it in your shower. Always available for a quick cleaning. My shower has never been cleaner!
Desiree says
Thank you for sharing this. I just cleaned my bathroom with this. I had some really nasty build up that usually takes so much scrubbing even with the other cleaners to get off. It worked like a charm! Light scrubbing. I even used it on the counter around the sink where all my makeup has spilled. It took off eyeliner and mascara! I think if I decide to heat the vinegar again I will wait for it to cool before using. It was a little harsh on the lungs while still warm, but fine after it cooled. Definitely a keeper.
Stacey says
I just tried this with Seventh Generation liquid dish soap and room temperature white vinegar. It congealed into a gel in the spray bottle. I had to add water, and it still congealed. Did anyone else have this problem?
Sarah says
This might be why the vinegar is heated. I use Seventh Generation and heat the vinegar, and it doesn’t congeal. Maybe that will help you? I’m surprised people are surprised by a powerful smell. Vinegar alone has a powerful smell 🙂 I’m just thankful it’s not a CHEMICAL smell! Thanks for this recipe!
Luba says
This is not a homemade cleaner, but it’s the best cleaner I have used in my shower (yes, better than vinegar). It’s called MPD; it’s totally natural, and it’s made out of Aloe Vera. It’s also a great laundry detergent. On the bottle are instructions how to use it as a window cleaner and a multi-purpose cleaner too. 🙂
Sara says
I just tried the recipe. I used 8 oz. of warmed vinegar and 8 oz. of blue Dawn. It is SO sudsy, it is difficult to fully rinse the tub. Any suggestions?
Shelly says
I used the blue Dawn that says it is “ultra concentrated”. Because it’s concentrated, I figured I should use less of it. I added about 1/3 what I would have it it had been regular strength, and it worked well. It wasn’t too sudsy to rise. 🙂
Desiree says
I made a mixture with the equal parts using the blue Dawn. I did notice it was a little too concentrate of the dish soap also. However I did notice while scrubbing the shower that if I used a stiff bristle brush and dipped it into water and scrubbed that it helped a lot and made it easier to rinse it off.
Tracy says
I used warm vinegar & woolworths select brand dishwashing detergent called “shine”. It’s the orange coloured anti-bacterial one and placed them in a foaming bottle (old shower power bottle). . It worked great. No fumes & a nice mild smell.
julie says
Do you think ANY dish liquid will work? I don’t have DAWN on hand and want to try soon…..thanks!
Mary says
If you use the blue dawn it will NOT have a chemical smell…I use this all the time and it smells fresh and clean.
Amanda says
You just saved me a bunch of time getting soap scum off of my shower door. Thanks for being a blessing!!
Taylor says
I haven’t done it yet but I think I may go off of our idea, Angie but instead use a refillable scrubber with a handle. The ones that are plastic with the plug and a sponge end. No more vapors!
Angie says
I have commented on this cleaner before and I still use it. I have never heated the vinegar and it works great! I do NOT use a spray bottle because it puts too much mist into the air which I don’t want to breath in (even though it is only vinegar and soap). I use an old, clean ketchup bottle that has a small hole in the lid. I just squirt around my shower and let it drip down. I let it soak a bit then gently scrub and rinse … done! I also use this in our toilets and I just did the kids’ bathtub too.
Andrea says
That’s a great idea to put it in a ketchup or other “squirt” bottle instead of a “spray” bottle!
Stacey says
I found a great way to clean my toilets is baking soda and white vinegar. Just pour a generous amount of white vinegar in your toilet, followed by a tablespoon or two of baking soda. Let it fizz for awhile so it can break down any streaks. Scrub with toilet brush and flush! Very easy and once you flush, you don’t smell the vinegar.
Phyllis Mays says
A few minutes ago, I found your site. (simplte organized living) Congratulations on such a great site. I’m sure to try your cleaning suggestions, for sure. My question concerns the hard water streaks in my toilet. Do you have any tips for cleaning these streaks or keeping them at bay? I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon looking at your site. Thanks, Phyllis in Okeechobee, Florida
Tonia says
Try sprinkling some Comet powdered cleaner in your toilet bowl, scrub with a toilet brush and flush! That is how i always clean my toilet bowl and i have never had those nasty hard water streaks…i hope this works for you too. Comet is such a thrifty product that can be used for many things…Good luck:)
Karol says
I tried the vinegar dawn solution from another site and it was just as potent without heating the vinegar. I would guess it is the fact that the some dawn has chlorine it…unless you can find the real ‘original’ dawn and not just the ‘original scent’ one.
Clancey says
Tried many of the recipes for homemade shower/bath cleaner. After many tries, here is one I found works best for me for general bath cleaning. I also use the daily shower recipe for daily but like the one below for general cleaning. The use of peroxide and alcohol cuts the vinegar smell. I did not/do not have essential oil but will also try that to cut the odor.
For a 32 oz bottle:
¼ c peroxide
1/4 c alcohol
3 drop Dawn
1 t jet dry or similar
16 oz white vinegar
Water to fill the 32 oz bottle
Andrea says
Thanks for this recipe — I might have to give it a try!